MoH starts nationwide flu vaccination

MoH starts nationwide flu vaccination

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health (MoH) launched a nationwide vaccination campaign against seasonal flu on Sunday.

Speaking at the launch held at the MoH headquarters, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Saeed, deputy minister of public health, said the campaign has targeted at least 1.5 million people in all parts of the Kingdom.The vaccines will be available in 275 hospitals and at 2,259 primary health care centers throughout the Kingdom. He said the vaccination will be available free-of-charge to all those who want to avail themselves of this annual service. It was revealed that the ministry is considering making the flu vaccination mandatory on all pilgrims who will be coming for Haj pilgrimage next year.Vaccination against meningitis is compulsory on all foreign Umrah and Haj pilgrims visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.General Supervisor of the National Program Dr. Musallam Abu Hassan said the ministry focuses on vaccination on the vulnerable categories of people that include pregnant women, people suffering from chronic ailments such as diabetes, cardiac, renal and hypertension patients, and children from six months to five years of age. He also said that the flu vaccine will prevent the seasonal influenza too.This year, he said the flu shots were already given to 90 percent of the health officials. Last year, only 20 percent was covered among the health care personnel, he added.According to the Atlanta-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine.

The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Traditional flu vaccines (trivalent vaccines) are made to protect against three flu viruses – an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus.There are also flu vaccines made to protect against four flu viruses (quadrivalent vaccines). These vaccines protect against the same viruses as the trivalent vaccine and an additional B virus.

Crown Prince: Future opportunities between Saudi Arabia and China are very big

Saudi Arabia and China signed economic cooperation agreements worth a total of $28 billion at a joint investment forum

The crown prince presided at a China-Saudi cooperation forum that concluded with 12 agreements on cooperation

Updated 12 min 19 sec ago

Arab News

February 22, 2019 15:24

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RIYADH: Future opportunities between Saudi Arabia and China are very big, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Friday during his visit to China.

Citing a 33 percent increase in bilateral trade last year, the crown prince added that high-level contacts were paying off in areas from commerce to security and defense.
"Saudi Arabia's relations with China can be traced back a very long time in the past," Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Xi Jinping at their meeting in the Great Hall of the People in the heart of the Chinese capital.

Meanwhile, the Chinese president stressed his country's keenness on joint efforts with Saudi Arabia to support strategic relations between the two countries. He added that there has been coordination with Saudi Arabia on international and regional issues in recent years.

The crown prince earlier Friday presided at a China-Saudi cooperation forum that concluded with 12 agreements on cooperation in fields ranging from petroleum and the chemical industry to investment, renewable energy and counter-terrorism. Saudi Arabia is one of China's top crude oil suppliers and an important market for its exports.

Saudi Arabia and China also signed economic cooperation agreements worth a total of $28 billion at a joint investment forum. 35 agreements had been signed at the forum, held by Saudi Arabia’s investment agency SAGIA. Four licenses for Chinese companies were awarded at the forum.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also pledged Saudi Arabia's backing for China's gargantuan "belt and road" infrastructure project, saying he was willing to link it with the kingdom's Vision 2030 plans— a blueprint put forth by the crown prince to wean the kingdom off its reliance on oil, particularly as sustainable sources of energy become cheaper and more popular.
The Crown Prince's visit follows trips to India and Pakistan, which send millions of laborers to Saudi Arabia and are seeking closer economic ties.